The present invention relates to a hi-hat cymbal, and more specifically to a transmission mechanism coupled between the foot plate and the movable center rod in a hi-hat cymbal for moving a superior cymbal relative to an inferior cymbal.
A regular hi-hat cymbal, as shown in FIG. 1, comprises a stand, a vertical tube mounted on the stand at the center, an inferior cymbal securely fastened to the vertical tube at the top, a movable center rod inserted through the vertical tube, a superior cymbal fixedly mounted on the movable center rod and moved with the movable center rod relative to the inferior cymbal, a rack, a bottom plate connected to the rack, a foot pedal hinged to the bottom plate, a chain connected between the free end of the foot pedal and a coupling rod at the bottom end of the movable center rod, and spring means mounted in the vertical tube and imparting an upward pressure to the movable center rod. When the foot pedal is depressed, the movable center rod is lowered, thereby causing the superior cymbal and the inferior cymbal to be struck together to make a clashing sound. When the movable center rod is lowered, the spring means in the vertical tube is simultaneously compressed. When the foot pedal is released from the foot, the spring means immediately pushes the movable center rod to its former position. This design has drawbacks. Because the spring means imparts an upward pressure to the movable center rod, the player must employ much effort to the foot pedal to conquer the spring force of the spring means. If the spring means is made relatively stronger, much effort should be employed to depress the foot pedal. If the spring means is made relatively weaker, it cannot quickly return the movable center rod after each down stroke of the movable center rod.